Interior Air Pollution in Automotive Cabins by Volatile Organic Compounds Diffusing from Interior Materials: II. Influence of Manufacturer, Specifications and Usage Status on Air Pollution, and Estimation of Air Pollution Levels in Initial Phases of Delivery as a New Car

Abstract

Air pollution in the cabins of 101 Japanese cars due to organic compounds diffusing from the interior materials has been described in our previous report. In the present study, the influence of the manufacturer, specifications and usage status of these cars on the interior air pollution was evaluated by covariance analysis. Also, the levels of air pollution in the initial phases of delivery as a new car were estimated using previous data for the time-courses of interior concentrations of organic compounds measured in another new car. The findings showed greater air pollution in the cabins of luxury cars, with leather seats or leather steering wheels, or high-end catalogue prices. Differences in the specifications contributed more markedly to interior air pollution than differences in manufacturers. Also, usage status, such as everyday ventilation affected the long-term interior air quality. The sum values of interior concentrations of 154 compounds, for which there were time-course data, were estimated to be approximately 1700 μg·m-3 as a median (max. 11,000 μg·m-3) at 1 month from delivery (interior temperature, 32°C; interior humidity, 45%).